Philly police probe tip that radical group wants to harm officers

timesofisrael

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police in Philadelphia are investigating a tip
that a man charged in the ambush shooting of a patrolman is connected to a radical group that may continue to pose a threat to officers.

The police department said Sunday evening that someone approached an
officer on the street and alleged that the man who attacked Officer Jesse Hartnett “had an affiliation to a group with radical beliefs.”

Police say they are working with the FBI to investigate the credibility of the information. They have alerted all department personnel about the tip and will continue
to require officers to work with a partner until further notice.

Harnett was last reported in stable condition at the hospital after a man charged his car as he patrolled his usual west Philadelphia beat shortly before midnight
Thursday, firing at least 13 shots, hitting the officer three times. Hartnett got out of his car, chased the man and returned fire, wounding him in the buttocks before he was captured by other
officers about a block away.

Edward Archer, 30, of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, was charged Saturday with attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault of a law enforcement officer and several firearms
crimes. He is being held without bail pending a Jan. 25 preliminary hearing. The Defender Association of Philadelphia, listed in court documents as representing him, couldn’t be reached over the
weekend to offer comment on the charges.

Investigators said Archer told them he was “following Allah” and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, and he believed the police department defends laws that
are contrary to Islam. Authorities believe Archer traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2011 and to Egypt in 2012 and are investigating the purpose of those trips. FBI special agent Eric Ruona said Sunday that
as U.S. authorities work with partners overseas, it would take time to find any potential terror connections, and it was too early for any meaningful comment on the subject.

Earlier, police said a man tried to grab the gun of a Philadelphia officer working a detail at the hospital where Hartnett is recovering, but they believe the incident
is unrelated to the ambush shooting.

Police said the man approached the officer outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday and asked for money, saying he hadn’t eaten in
five days. The officer handed the man a $5 bill and entered the medical center, but later, when he was standing near the emergency room exit doors, the man tried to grab the officer’s handgun from
the holster. The officer, with the aid of hospital security and other officers, subdued the 40-year-old suspect, who said he wanted the gun to rob a store, police said.